Crunch goalie Cedrick Desjardins takes his place in the Syracuse goal before the start of a recent playoff game. Brett Carlsen | bcarlsen@syracuse.com

There's a very good reason to briefly leave summer behind for a few hours this weekend and snag a taste of winter.

The hockey season for the Syracuse Crunch, which typically ends before most Central New York lawns need a good cut, is bumping into Father's Day and could ignite a celebration that lingers into the Fourth of July.

For the first time in its 19-season history, the Crunch is playing for the Calder Cup, the prize for the best team in the American Hockey League.

The first games of the final series are Saturday and Sunday in the War Memorial. The Crunch, champions of the Eastern Conference, will meet the Grand Rapids Griffins of the Western Conference.

If the fierce competition of playoff hockey has escaped your sports entertainment radar, this is the time to take notice. Here's a heads-up to a few things that might stoke your curiosity:

What's the big deal about the Calder Cup?

It's the best pro sports trophy a city of this size can win.

It's been the exclamation point to the launch of many legendary careers. Twenty-seven members of the Hockey Hall of Fame have won the Calder Cup in their careers.

Didn't Syracuse win the cup once?

Almost. The Syracuse Stars were champions of the International­American Hockey League in 1937, but the Calder Cup wasn't awarded to the winning team until the next season, when Syracuse lost in the finals to Providence.

Does the city have any other AHL history of note?

Yes, and most of it is bad.

Before the Crunch came to town in 1994-95, the city was known as the graveyard of AHL hockey. Syracuse is the resting grounds for four other league franchises: the Stars (1936-40), the Warriors (1951-54), the Eagles (1974-75) and the Firebirds (1979-80).

Note the brief stopovers of the last two franchises. That transient roll call is yet another reason to appreciate the stability, and now the success, of the Crunch.

Can you name three players to watch in the coming series?

As it usually goes in hockey, everything revolves around the goalie. Syracuse's Cedrick Desjardins has three shutouts this postseason, a franchise record.

Syracuse had been affiliated with Anaheim the past two seasons, a deal that both parties originally envisioned lasting longer. But things quickly started souring on the Crunch's end for a variety of reasons, most importantly a lack of commitment by the parent club to winning at the minor-league level.

Syracuse wriggled free from the clutches of Anaheim after two years. At the same time, Tampa Bay's deal with Norfolk was expiring. The Lightning had a record of putting a quality AHL product on the ice, stocking the 2011-2012 Norfolk Admirals with enough good players to win 28 games in a row and then the Calder Cup.

Tampa Bay wanted to move from Norfolk to an area more populated with AHL teams, such as the Northeast. The Lightning's dynamic leadership -- led by GM Steve Yzerman and assistant GM Julien BriseBois -- plus their proven knack for fielding good prospects was a natural fit for Syracuse owner Howard Dolgon.

What kinds of crowds do the Crunch draw? Are tickets still available?

Through seven home playoff games, the Crunch has averaged 4,717 fans in a building that seats a shade under 6,200. Although ticket sales have been brisk through mid-week, plenty of seats should remain for the Saturday and Sunday contests.

Do players collect money for winning the Calder Cup?

Yes, but probably not enough to cover the price paid for trying to win it.

According to AHL president Dave Andrews, the league and the players association negotiate a percentage of the overall playoff attendance revenue to be pooled into a players' fund. Andrews would not say what that percentage is. That total pool is split among all 16 teams in the postseason, with players from teams that go further earning a larger prize. Andrews said each team cuts 22 shares, generally enough to cover everyone on the playoff roster.

Syracuse captain Mike Angelidis, who was captain of last year's champion in Norfolk, said his team's payout came to about $10,000 per player.

What's up with Crunchman? Has the mascot changed?

Yes, he sure has.

When the team made its debut in 1994-95, owner Howard Dolgon went with a superhero theme for the team's mascot. Thus, Crunchman was born.

The early version was subsequently put on the shelf for a few years in favor of an illadvised "Ice Gorilla.'' When the Lightning was brought into the family last year, the Crunch went all throwback and brought Crunchman out of storage -- except that the team gave him a 21st-century image, including a sleeker look and more defined muscles, all the better for chasing championships.

Doesn't the warm outside weather melt the playing surface?

You'd think so, but not really.

Ice rinks are frozen from the bottom up, so generally the foundation of the ice is solid. The top layer might pool up a bit, but that can be fixed with some proper TLC. Saturday, the Crunch clinched the Eastern Conference with a win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in a War Memorial amid very pleasant atmospheric conditions. The Oncenter crew did a playoff-caliber job of keeping the rink in good shape.

Also, War Memorial management keeps the temperature of the air inside at arctic levels. You might want to pack an extra Snuggie or two to ward off the chill.

So what does the Calder Cup do during the summer?

The prized chalice is very busy.

The winning team is allowed to keep it until early July. Then players have a chance to sign it out during the summer.

The championship franchise is then permitted to showcase the trophy throughout the next season for promotional and fan events.